THIS APPROACH pleases and annoys fans in equal measure and so I was keen to see what WWE 13 brings to the table.

Its biggest selling point is based around possibly wrestling's most popular span of time – the Attitude era of the late 1990s.

This was the time that made stars out of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley and Goldberg as WWE battled with then rivals World Championship Wrestling.

It's seen by fans as the golden age of wrestling with sky-high ratings and gripping, outrageous stories that have yet to be replicated.

WWE 13

WWE 13 offers gamers the chance to play through a series of different stories from that era and for fans of that time, like me, it's an utter treat.

The stories are told using archive video footage and cutscenes that replicate the scenes played out at the time.

Players then take part in various matches as the stories progress, with added bonuses for completing the match in a certain way that most accurately replicates the way the original match flowed.

Expect to unlock belts, matches, arenas and grapplers such as the British Bulldog with his magnificent braided mullet.

WWE 13

It's a really fun mode and one heavily inspired by the, underrated, Legends of Wrestlemania game from a few years back.

It's not perfect though. WWE has a huge video archive to pull from and it would have been good to see a lot more of this used instead of several matches at a time passing by with no video at all.

The commentary is a mix of archive and newly recorded footage, but the sound levels have not been balanced, so some of it is shouty and full of static while the rest is quiet and crisp.

Both of these things could have been easily fixed Fortunately, one of WWE 12's biggest failings has been remedied. It's now much easier, as in no longer impossible, to reverse moves when being attacked.

The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag. Things are adequate with the occasional amusing clipping issue and I giggled at a couple of moments where characters bumped into chairs outside the ring which then flew up into the stratosphere as if they were as light as a balloon.

WWE 13

Some of the wrestler depictions are also a bit iffy - Triple H in particular looks grossly oversized, resembling a demon from the original Doom games.

It's also a shame that the option to see what damage you have done to an opponent's body part has been taken away.

Working over different limbs of an opponent is a staple of any wrestling match, so not knowing exactly which limb you have weakened is a little odd.

Elsewhere the decent Universe Mode from last year's game returns along with a solid online multiplayer experience.

But neither of those elements are the reason to buy this game: pick it up for the Attitude era and you'll be pinned to your console, despite the game's flaws.